While I like to mix up my workouts and do a variety of different exercises to keep them interesting, push-ups are one move I almost always include in whatever session I’m doing.
They’re a classic for a reason, and one of the best ways to improve your all-round upper-body strength at home with minimal or no equipment.
Until recently, I almost always did the bodyweight-only version of the move, which is great, but having made the switch to dumbbell push-ups over the past month or so, I have found it a worthwhile upgrade.
If you have a set of the best dumbbells at home, I’d suggest giving the dumbbell push-up a try. Here’s how to do it, and what I noticed after doing it for a month.
How to do dumbbell push-ups
Set up in a high plank position, holding weights in each hand, so you’re supporting your upper body on top of the dumbbells.
Bend your arms to lower your chest toward the floor, maintaining the plank position from your shoulders to your feet.
When you feel a deep stretch in your chest as you lower between the dumbbells, push back up to the starting position. Here's what I noticed when doing them.
It definitely benefitted my chest
The main advantage of dumbbell push-ups over the standard move is that it increases the range of motion and allows you to get deeper when you lower, which stretches the chest muscles and makes them work harder to stimulate growth.
I’ve been doing push-ups regularly for years, but after just a few weeks of doing dumbbell push-ups, I noticed increased definition and size in my pecs.
If that’s your aim, you’ll also want to do moves like the bench press with heavier weights, but it was a welcome bonus just as someone looking to build general strength.
By narrowing the dumbbells you can work the triceps harder
As with normal push-ups, you can shift the focus of the move to different muscles by widening or narrowing your grip.
Having the dumbbells wider apart works the chest and shoulders more, while bringing them closer hits the triceps harder, and I tend to mix up my approach during workouts to change the focus.
It’s more noticeable how hard the triceps are working when doing push-ups on dumbbells compared with the standard push-up, and maintaining my balance while having the weights close together was a challenge.
I worked harder to maintain a stable plank
Maintaining a plank position while you lower and raise yourself is part of the challenge of any push-up — you don’t want to sag or buck your hips — but the dumbbell push-up felt like it was recruiting more stabilizing muscles during my workouts.
You’re supporting your upper body on the grips of the dumbbells, rather than having your hands flat against the floor, which means you’re more unstable. I feel like the move benefits my core strength and stability more as a result.
Hexagonal dumbbells are best
While you can do the dumbbell push-up with any type of dumbbell, hexagonal ones are by far the best option because they provide a stable base for the move.
Circular dumbbells, in contrast, can roll around, especially on hard floors. Unless you’re looking for the extra challenge of holding them still while doing push-ups, I’d use hexagonal weights.
You can also do the move using yoga blocks, which allow you to support yourself on flat palms if you prefer, or even kettlebells.
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